Peninsula Health’s Intensive Care Unit aims to encourage and motivate all staff in the pursuit of clinical excellence and ongoing professional development and improvement. The unit looks to squarely focus on and foster excellence in patient centred, evidence based, best practice care delivery.
Medical Education
HMOs and Registrars
Frankston Intensive Care Unit (ICU) runs a dedicated, consultant led education program that aims to guide our trainees towards becoming excellent specialists in Intensive Care and related disciplines. The education program is well rounded and provides the support system required to ensure our trainees’ progress.
We are proud of our education program that supports trainees, regardless of their level of experience. The education program not only focuses on basic foundations of critical care and basic sciences but also on current evidence-based critical care practice and cutting-edge research. It is aimed at teaching a wide range of ICU and specialty topics to maximize success in both the primary and the fellowship ICU examinations. Consultants attend and facilitate all of our teaching sessions that are held in our lecture theatre or at the bedside.
The foundation is reliant on basic physiologic principles and all junior staff start their rotation with the BASIC Course, aimed at introducing them to ICU concepts, equipment and therapies over two days. Regular journal clubs help our trainees to stay up-to-date with the current literature. Simulation sessions (Advanced Life Support and Crisis Resource Management) conducted regularly help our trainees sharpen their skills. A dedicated echo technician provides one-on-one bedside transthoracic echocardiography teaching every Monday. Fortnightly bronchoscopy teaching for advanced trainees is a new addition to our program.
Frankston ICU is part of the Victorian Intensive care education network (VICEN), an initiative were most Victorian ICU hosts the ICU trainees once every month on a fellowship exam-focused education.
Nursing Education
At Frankston Hospital ICU we endeavour to support, encourage and inspire ongoing nurse education. We have structured training opportunities for staff of all experience levels. Our expectation is a commitment to ongoing professional development that is supported with 1:1 bedside teaching, self-directed online learning packages, bedside tutorials, annual competency assessments and specialised study days for differing levels of experience. To facilitate these learning opportunities we have Nurse Educators available from Monday to Friday.
The Peninsula Health ICU education framework is designed to support staff to achieve clinical excellence using a safe, personal, effective and connected approach. It is aimed towards nursing staff operating in a complex and dynamic environment.
The Achieving Clinical Excellence (ACE) Program includes an extensive individualised nurse orientation program catering to the General Registered Nurse (GRN) and the Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN). This program provides support to ensure a smooth transition to working in the Intensive Care Unit and enables GRNs to be trained to care for stable critical care patients.
General Registered Nurses (GNRs) are expected to work toward a postgraduate qualification in intensive care nursing, to ensure they are academically and clinically prepared for the environment.
The Achieving Clinical Excellence (ACE) Program addresses the education and training requirements of nurses at all levels of skill and experience in ICU.
Achieving Clinical Excellence Program Courses
- Preparation for Practice: Induction and orientation
- All staff commencing in unit.
- Foundations of ICU Practice
- All staff new to ICU with no ICU postgraduate qualification (GRNs).
- Transition to ICU Specialty Practice (TSP)
- All GRNs progress to this course in preparation for post graduate studies.
- Postgraduate studies in Intensive Care (at chosen university)
- Consolidation and Development Program (CDP)
- For all staff post completion of their postgraduate qualification
- Advanced Practice
- For experienced post graduate qualified ICU Nurses. Our CCRNs are provided with ongoing rewarding educational opportunities and will be encouraged to share knowledge with other staff.
The Achieving Clinical Excellence – Transition to Specialty Practice (A.C.E. TSP) facilitates the transition of the Registered Nurse to the complex role of Critical Care Nurse. It cultivates the experience, learning and enthusiasm of the student by presenting a broad range of content that is relevant to the intensive care environment. The curriculum encompasses theoretical knowledge and practical experience to develop safe and effective intensive care clinicians. The course engages student learning through multi-modal delivery with a focus on contemporary, research driven theory and the integration of practical-based learning opportunities.
Post Graduate Intensive Care Nursing Courses
ICU is a supportive, collaborative environment providing exposure to a diverse range of clinical conditions and complex patients. Students will be supported in providing care to patients with a range of different requirements including; advanced haemodynamic monitoring, management of vasoactive and inotropic drugs, temporary pacing, Intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP), Non-invasive Ventilation (NIV), mechanical ventilation support and Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT).
Our postgraduate program is supported by online resources, bedside support and mentoring with experienced staff and educators, and simulated scenarios in the unit and simulation centre.